The Doklam Standoff – Should India Project its Stand More Vigorously? The Doklam standoff has emerged as a litmus test for India in terms of how resolutely it can stand up against an increasingly hegemonic China to protect the interests of Bhutan as well as its own interests. Ashok Sajjanhar August 11, 2017 IDSA Comments
Doklam, China’s Strategic Calculus and India’s Policy Options To effectively cope with the PRC’s hostile attitude, India needs to reduce the power asymmetry, articulate a clear security policy based on a realistic threat assessment, reorganise the military, and revamp the border management mechanism. G.G. Dwivedi August 11, 2017 IDSA Comments
Marriages of Insurgent Convenience along the Indo-Myanmar Border: A Continuing Challenge While decades of counterinsurgency operations and peace processes have taken the sting out of the region’s major insurgencies, collaboration between groups continues to pose security challenges, particularly in the exploitable border areas adjacent to the upper Sagaing Region of Northwest Myanmar. Alex Waterman August 10, 2017 IDSA Comments
Venezuela’s Political Crisis: Continuing Chaos While the willingness of the Maduro regime to silence the opposition is cause for concern, far more worrying is the prospect of the new Constituent Assembly rewriting the Constitution to eliminate the last vestiges of democratic checks and balances. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj August 09, 2017 Issue Brief
The People’s Liberation Army at Ninety – Poised for a ‘Great Leap’ It will take some time before the PLA can claim to be a modern military, at par with Western armies, capable of undertaking extended global missions. But the PLA is poised for a “Giant Leap”, and that is bound to dramatically change the ‘balance of power’ dynamics. G.G. Dwivedi August 07, 2017 IDSA Comments
Cryptocurrencies and the Regulators Dilemma This special feature explores the mechanics and attributes which have led to the steep rise in the popularity of cryptocurrencies, delves into the risks they pose to the user and the state, and evaluates the opportunities, risks and policy options for India. Munish Sharma August 01, 2017 Special Feature
Transfer of Defence Technology: Moving beyond Self-Reliance towards Technological Superiority Foreign collaborations optimised for profit, risk-sharing and a common goal of achieving technological superiority could well enable India to break into the global market in select areas. Kevin A. Desouza July 31, 2017 Issue Brief
13th Five-Year Defence Plan (2017-22) – A Re-Run of the Past Achieving the intended outcomes of the 13th five-year defence plan is critically dependent on the ability of the Ministry of Finance to increase the defence budget by at least 100 per cent from next year onward. Amit Cowshish July 31, 2017 IDSA Comments
Way Forward to a final Naga Settlement Maximum autonomy may be accorded in ethnic, cultural and developmental realms to autonomous councils for all Naga areas in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and even Assam, through suitable amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Gautam Sen July 31, 2017 IDSA Comments
The New Arthashastra: A Security Strategy for India, edited by Gurmeet Kanwal The clamour for a national security strategy has become part of a constant refrain that accompanies every debate on India’s strategic culture or national security outlook. This repeated call for a security strategy stems from a perceived lack of clarity for functionaries within the government as well as the larger audience. An important constituent amongst the latter are a large number of countries that increasingly look upon India as an important partner in the evolving geopolitical environment. Vivek Chadha July 2017 Journal of Defence Studies
